Review: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Can you believe I've never actually read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? My sister had the old school covers (the ones that looked like the actual textbooks which I loved) of both this one and Quidditch Through the Ages but I never did get around to borrowing and reading them. I did, like every other Harry Potter fan, go see the film when it was released in theatres and I loved it. So, when I had the chance to review the brand new version of the book I jumped at the chance. Time to finally learn more about all those magical creatures I've been reading (and rereading) about for years!

Here's the description of the new edition:

A brand new edition of this essential companion to the Harry Potter stories, with a new foreword from J.K. Rowling and an irresistible new jacket by Jonny Duddle.
An approved textbook at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry since publication, Newt Scamander's masterpiece has entertained wizarding families through the generations. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is an indispensable introduction to the magical beasts of the wizarding world. Scamander's years of travel and research have created a tome of unparalleled importance. Some of the beasts will be familiar to readers of the Harry Potter books – the Hippogriff, the Basilisk, the Hungarian Horntail ... Others will surprise even the most ardent amateur magizoologist. Dip in to discover the curious habits of magical beasts across five continents ...

'No wizarding household is complete without a copy' Albus Dumbledore

Because I had never read the book before, I wasn't totally sure which creatures were part of the six new ones added to this latest edition. While reading it, though, I realized many of them are from stories J.K. Rowling had shared about Ilvermorny through Pottermore. I did a bit of poking around and found this article on Pottermore that lists all the new creatures accompanied with amazing and stunning 3D paper art by artist Andy Singleton. 

I had forgotten that the Thunderbird was a Ilvermorny house and a creature in Rowling's world. Having grown up with some (pretty basic) knowledge of Indigenous cultures, I was fairly certain Rowling's description didn't mesh with the mythology from real Indigenous cultures. A quick search confirmed my suspicions and reminded me of the many articles I read about how upset Indigenous people were when the Ilvermorny story was first released. (Read this CBC article for more context.) I love Rowling as much as the next Potter fan but this was a hard thing to come to terms with...a favourite author seemingly picking and choosing the myths that suited her and changing them to work with her story. This isn't just changing a, say, vampire narrative to suit your story. It's about taking a culture's religion for the purpose of another story. I don't like to be a downer but this is part of a much bigger conversation, especially in Canada, and I feel like I can't just ignore it.

Of course, all that being said...I did have fun reading this book. Creatures popped up that I remembered Harry and friends learning about at Hogwarts and it was great to learn more about where they can be found. It was so neat to really get a better imaginary picture (or sometimes actual picture as there were some line drawings throughout the book) of what these creatures should actually look like. 

I especially liked the introduction and explanation of why Centaurs and Merpeople are considered Beasts and Magical Creatures instead of Beings (like witches and wizards are). It would have been very complicated for those wizards to sort out how to classify certain creatures. I also liked the Ministry of Magic classification system. It ranges from XXXXX ("Known wizard killer/impossible to train or domesticate") to X ("Boring"). 

I love the look of the scales and the green and gold of the cover but I'm not sold on the dragon. I like that it's a red creature (the three colours all look so lovely) but this Chinese Fireball (I think that's what it is anyway) just looks too...cute, I think. Although the Puffskein on the back really is adorable and I want one. Except it enjoys sticking its long tongue up sleeping humans' noses and eating bogies so...that's a bit odd!

Have you read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? Do you have the older copies or the newer one like me? Which do you prefer? I'm happy to be adding "Newt Scamander's" title to my ever-growing Harry Potter collection!

*I received a copy of this book from Raincoast Books in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Read Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature.

I've read a lot of books in my life. That means I've read quite a few books from the same author. I've only been keeping track on Goodreads for the past few years though so I'm not sure how accurate this week's list actually is. It was actually quite a surprise to see which authors I've read the most from!

Janet Evanovich 

34+ 

My first response to this was "Seriously?!?" Never would have guessed she was my top read author. I've read 21 of her Stephanie Plum books (I've decided I'm not going to read another until the series is done...I'm so bored with it!), maybe 3 of the Between the Numbers books, I think all 6 of the Full series, 1 of the Lizzy & Diesel series (or was it 2?), 3 of the Fox and O'Hare series (ooh, there's a fourth one coming!). and a handful of others. Holy crapola.

Meg Cabot

20?

I've probably read at least 6 Princess Diaries books (I'm going to work on a reread since I want to be totally up to date by the time I get to the latest, Royal Wedding, which I got at BEA.), both All-American Girl books, most of the Vanished/1-800-Where-R-You series, most of the Mediator series, maybe 3 of her teen standalone books, both of the Insatiable books, the 3 Queen of Babble books, and I think just 2 of the Boy series.

Sophie Kinsella/Madeline Wickham 

15 or 16 

I've read the Shopaholic books and all of her standalones but I actually can't remember how many of the Madeline Wickham books I've read and since they're the same person I decided to combine them.

Joanne Fluke 

16

I was surprised by this one, too! Her Hannah Swensen series is a lot of fun. My sister has most of them so I've been able to read all of her copies!

Sarah Dessen 

12

I've read every single one of her books and will read every single other book she publishes.

Nora Roberts 

10

She's my go-to when I need a good, sweet, and entertaining romance! 10 sounds like a lot but she's written approximately a bazillion.

Heather Wardell 

10

I freaking  love Heather and her books. I'm actually a little glad that I'm behind on her books - she has 17 published right now - because it means I have so many more to catch up on. And she's a speedy writer so there will be 18, 19, 20 soon enough!

Laura Ingalls Wilder 

9

I adored the Little House books when I was a kid! I'm looking forward to rereading them soon.

J.K. Rowling/Robert Galbraith

9

I haven't read the entirety of Rowling's other Potter books (Fantastic Beasts, etc.) so I'm not counting them. But the 7 Potter books add up, plus I've read both of the books she's written as Galbraith (can't wait for the next one).

Emily Giffin 

8

And I actually own all of them, too! 

Reread: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I can't believe we've come to the final book. July was the month to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Because of crazy (but mostly good) life stuff, I didn't get to start it until July 31 (fitting since that's both Harry's and J.K. Rowling's birthday). I finished it on Saturday and I'm still reeling...again.

For more info about this challenge and the idea behind it, visit Just a Lil' Lost's sign up post. Check out Twitter and Instagram if you'd like to follow along with our #HPreread tag. A reminder: if you haven't read this book please beware of spoilers. Since this is the last book I'll be talking about all sorts of ruinable plot points! If you don't want parts of the story or series ruined for you, stay away until you finish the books.

I didn't think I'd be as affected by this novel the second time around. I really didn't. I've read the books before, I've seen the movies, so I was kind of expecting to hold it together a little bit better. There were no tears this time but knowing what was coming didn't lessen the hurt any. I was hit with a major book hangover after finishing it and I really wanted to linger in this world for as long as I could. Did anyone else feel like that when they finished it? Either for the first time or when doing this reread?

Obviously the things that hurt the most are the deaths (again, spoiler alert). There are the big ones: Fred, Lupin, Tonks, Snape, Mad-Eye, Dobby, Hedwig. But there also deaths of characters who played smaller roles: Colin Creevey, Lavender  Brown, hell, even Crabbe. Can you imagine being Harry, at seventeen, realizing that all of these people died because of something you felt you needed to stop on your own?

Finding out more about Snape and why he did everything he did is one of my favourite parts of this book. It's also one of the hardest parts to read. We, like Harry, are not exactly fans of Snape (these feelings range from mild dislike to, as in Harry's case, raw hatred) and have held onto those feelings for the entire series. It is both wonderful and heartbreaking to finally find out what motivated Snape. Wonderful because we realize how much he truly cared for Lily and what that meant for Harry. Snape loved Lily so much that he risked his life to help Dumbledore look after Harry. In turn, it's heartbreaking because we learn everything after he is already dead. Imagine the questions Harry would have had and would have loved to be able to ask Snape. I'm glad Rowling gave Snape the closure he deserved and that we were able to see him as Dumbledore did. And that she had Harry name one of his son's after him!

Speaking of Harry's sons...let's talk about that epilogue. I didn't hate it when I first read it (still don't) but I wondered about the necessity of it. I suppose you could say I do like it because I did want to know that Harry and Ginny were together, as were Ron and Hermione. I liked knowing the names of all of their children and that Neville is teaching at Hogwarts. But what are the rest of the Weasleys up to? Luna? What are they all doing outside of their family lives? Neville is the only one who has a profession named. I know we have a lot of these questions answered now, seven years later, but if there's going to be an epilogue, why not include even more info? What about you? What's your opinion on the "Nineteen years later" epilogue?

Other things worth mentioning:
- the goodbye between Harry and Dudley. "I don't think you're a waste of space." Love.
- I can hardly stand the fact that Fred dies and George has to carry on without his twin. Especially after reading this Buzzfeed article, 29 Times Tumblr Made Harry Potter Fans Cry All Over Again, which focuses a lot on the twins. (It literally will make you cry. Not that I'm speaking from experience...)
- Hermione having to wipe her parents' memories? *sobs*
- Learning more about Dumbledore was really interesting, too. I know I held him on a pedestal just like Harry did and it was hard, but good, to learn that he really was human and discover how he became the great wizard he was.
- When the trio are discussing The Tales of Beedle the Bard:
"Ron, you know full well Harry and I were brought up by Muggles!" said Hermione. "We didn't hear stories like that when we were little, we heard Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Cinderella - "
"What's that, an illness?" asked Ron. (page 114)
- When almost every single Hogwarts student protects Harry after Pansy Parkinson yells to grab him:
"Before Harry could speak, there was a massive movement. The Gryffindors in front of him and stood facing, not Harry, but the Syltherins. Then the Hufflepuffs stood and almost at the same moment, the Ravenclaws, all of them with their backs to Harry, all of them looking towards Pansy instead, and Harry, awestruck and overwhelmed, saw wands emerging everywhere, pulled from beneath cloaks and from under sleeves." (pages 490-1) (I got goosebumps when I read it and when I typed it out!)

There are more quotes and pictures from my reading experience compiled in this Storify story.

So that's it. I still can't quite believe it's over. Rereading these books has been one of, if not the, best reading decisions of 2014. I always talk about how much I love the Harry Potter novels but it was good to get a refresher and confirm that they are my all time favourite books. I proudly say that I am part of the Harry Potter Generation.

Reread: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I was both looking forward to and dreading reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I wanted to do the reread because I knew how much information was given in this book and I couldn't remember all the hints. I didn't want to reread it because of the death in this one. (I'll mention it later so go away if you don't know who I mean!) For more info about this challenge and the idea behind it, visit Just a Lil' Lost's sign up post. Check out Twitter and Instagram if you'd like to follow along with our #HPreread tag. A reminder: if you haven't read this book, or even finished the whole series, please beware of spoilers. If you don't want parts of the story or series ruined for you, stay away until you finish the books!

I remembered early on how many deaths there actually are in this book. We met Amelia Bones in Order of the Phoenix and then, in the first few pages of Half-Blood Prince, we find out that she was killed. Sad! Of course, it's not just deaths that occur but serious injuries as well (see: Bill). There are a lot of minor characters that have popped up throughout who become more important as the series progressed. It's another nod to Rowling's excellent storytelling.

I never really saw the appeal of Draco Malfoy the first time I read the series. I didn't dislike him any more than the average person but I didn't like him either. I know a lot of people love him and I now understand it. My heart hurt when he confronted Dumbledore and explained what he had to do and why. And when he was crying to Moaning Myrtle right before Harry cursed him? Oh, so sad. I imagine this feeling of..empathy, I guess?..is a result of knowing how the series ends and what else Malfoy goes through. This feeling also applies to Snape and my feelings about him. Going into the series the first time all we know is that he's such a villain in Harry's eyes so what happens in the end is so surprising. Knowing the final ending makes rereading this book even harder because you can tell that Snape is struggling with his duties.

And let's just talk about this for a second:

Ah, young love. I love that Harry and Ginny become a couple and I love that Ron and Hermione eventually get it together and realize they should be together, too (though that's in the next book. Expect another page shot of that scene). Speaking of Ron and Hermione...reading about two sixteen year olds who are struggling with their feelings for each other? It's definitely sweet, yes. But also quite funny. Makes me glad I'm not a teen anymore :)

I had forgotten that the novel opens with the British Prime Minister and the visits from Fudge and Scrimgeour. I especially liked when the PM says, "But for heaven's sake - you're wizards! You can do magic! Surely you can sort out - well - anything!" Scrimgeour replies, "The trouble is, the other side can do magic too, Prime Minister." (page 24) This sort of sets the tone of almost helplessness that the magical community has as well as making you realize how much the Muggle world is being affected by Voldemort's return.

Finally, it's time to talk about Dumbledore. I was dreading the end of this book so much. I hate that he dies. I hated knowing going into it that he dies. All the clever little quips and thoughtful pieces of advice...all stabs to the heart. Of course, knowing that Dumbledore knew he was going to die makes a lot of things clearer. All the lessons with Harry, the knowledge he tried to impart, and so on, it was all done with a purpose. But reading as Harry had to deal with the death of his mentor...oh, it was just so hard.

For more thoughts and random quotes that I enjoyed, check out the Storify link for this month's reread.

I can't believe next month is the last book! Ah! Where did the time go? It's going to be hard to finish the series (again) but I'm looking forward to it. I've only read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows once so I can't recall some of the tinier details like I can with some of the others. Final note: is anyone else planning on bingewatching all of the movies in August like I am?

Reread: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I never liked Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as much as some of the other books. I was never really sure why, either. After doing this month's reread, however, I found I no longer disliked the book. I wonder if it's because I know the whole story now. All the little hints and information sprinkled throughout this book make sense now because I know how it all ends. Whatever the reason, I definitely enjoyed my reread of J.K. Rowling's fifth Harry Potter book more than the first time I read it.
For more info about this challenge and the idea behind it, visit Just a Lil' Lost's sign up post. Check out Twitter or Instagram with #HPreread if you want to follow along with us. A reminder: if you haven't read this book, or even finished the whole series, please beware of spoilers. If you don't want parts of the story or series ruined for you, stay away until you finish the books!

I believe I've mentioned before that a lot of people are frequently annoyed by Harry. I could really see where they were coming from when I was reading Order of the Phoenix. Harry had been pretty much totally ignored all summer by everyone he considered a friend and his response to that, when he finally gets to see everyone, was to lash out. Repeatedly. The attitude continues throughout the entire book and, while it did get a tad frustrating, I just reminded myself that he's fifteen. And, really, this attitude never bothered me before. Sure, the kid is rash and should listen for all the facts before rushing off to save the world, but he's just that – a kid. Harry's only fifteen in this book, remember.

I had somehow forgotten how long and big this book was. 766 pages! And it doesn't really seem like there's a whole lot going on in this book (which may be another reason why a lot of people aren't a huge fan of OotP) but there are a lot of building blocks laid in this story. Particularly, I think, with Dumbledore's Army. Apart from the core three, we're finally getting to see some students who are committed to protecting their school, their headmaster, and their families, by coming together to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts skills from Harry. The group of students we learn more about here, most notably Ginny, Neville, and Luna, all play an important role in this book as well as the next two.

There were a couple of family moments in this book that made me tear up a bit. The first was one I had forgotten about. It happens very early on in the book (page 39), when Harry is explaining why the Dementors attacked him and what it meant. Aunt Petunia understood the severity and, as Rowling writes, "...for the first time in his life, Harry fully appreciated that Aunt Petunia was his mother's sister. ... All he knew was that he was not the only person in the room who had an inkling of what Lord Voldemort being back might mean." It's easy to forget, reading the books through Harry's eyes, that his aunt lost a sister. She may complain about James and how magic is a disgrace, but Lily was still her sister. The other, much more potent, family moment came at the end of the book. I hate that Sirius dies. Probably because I can't see the point of it (though, really, what is the point of any of the upcoming deaths?). I also hate it because it takes away Harry's last hope of being with family. Sure, he has an amazing surrogate family in the Weasleys' and other members of the Order, but he won't realize that for awhile. For now, we just feel Harry's pain at losing his godfather. 

Amidst all the heavy stuff, there are, as usual, some light hearted moments. Fred and George provide many of those, of course. One of my favourite lines from the entire series is in this book. Ron has been made Prefect and Mrs. Weasley has just found out: "'Oh, Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!' 'What are Fred and I, next-door neighbours?' said George indignantly." (page 149)  I also enjoyed all of the variations of "Dementor" Uncle Vernon creates (Dementoids, Demenders). And this is the book where we learn that Ron has the emotional range of a teaspoon! (page 406)

Other random notes: I was happy that Tonks ("Don't call me Nymphadora!") finally shows up as I named my rabbit after her. I also liked that Luna is now part of the series (though I'm looking forward to the next books when she's a bit less Looney and more Luna). Rowling is setting up Hermione/Ron and Harry/Ginny even more though it's still all very subtle.

I'm still really enjoying the Harry Potter reread, which isn't a surprise. Though I'm finding now that, as much as I want to read the next book, I know I'm getting that much closer to the end (again). I know I know how it all ends but it's been so great to relive the series again. Next month's book, Half-Blood Prince, is another heavy one and I need to start preparing myself now for what happens!

Reread: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

I was very giddy as we approached month three of the Harry Potter Reread Challenge. Why? Because I absolutely adore the third book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I won't say (yet) that it's my favourite of the seven novels because I want to wait until I've reread all of them but it'll for sure be one or two. For more information about this challenge and the idea behind it, visit Just a Lil' Lost's sign up post. Check out Twitter or Instagram with #HPreread if you want to follow along with us. A reminder: if you haven't read this book, or even finished the whole series, please beware of spoilers. If you don't want parts of the story or series ruined for you, stay away until you finish the books!

I'm not totally sure what it is that makes me love this book so much. I could say that it's because we learn so much more about the wizarding world when Harry gets to ride the Knight Bus (which I love...it's "violently purple"...my favourite!) and ends up spending a great deal of time at the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley. But, technically, we learn more about the world in every book so that's not much of a reason. Though I do love Diagon Alley and liked being able to spend a bit more time there in this book.

Azkaban is also the last "light" Harry Potter book. I'm not saying the serious issues that come up in the next books aren't important or good (they're great, really), it's just that this is the last book where Harry is really able to keep his innocence. I know he's already faced Voldemort twice but the danger hasn't really been there yet because Voldemort isn't totally back. It's not as dangerous or real like it will be in the next books. And, for us, the reader, this is the last book without major deaths. And anyone who tells you "they're just fictional characters" should be cut out of your life immediately. Or at least ignored until they see sense. We grow to love these characters (even some of the evil ones) and reading about their deaths is like a knife to the heart.

Other little things I enjoy in this book: Hagrid being a teacher, Hogsmeade (Butterbeer! Honeydukes!), Crookshanks (damn clever feline, that one), Ron's new owl, Hermione slapping Malfoy, Gryffindor winning the Quidditch Cup (couldn't stop smiling), the Marauder's Map, the Time-Turner, and expecto patronum (side note: if I ever get a HP tattoo, that might be it). To really get a feel about what stuck out for me while I reread this, check out my Storify story with all my #HPreread tweets.

But the most likely reason I love this book is because we meet two characters who are extremely important to Harry: Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. The love I have for these characters is even more intense since I know what happens to them in the end. Of course, my heart broke a little during each scene with them, but that's the price you pay for knowing the end of the series, I suppose. Meeting these men, men who were Harry's father's best friends, give Harry more of an insight into his parents' lives. He is so desperate for details of them. It hurts my heart a little that he just doesn't know enough about James and Lily, the people who died in order to protect him. And knowing what I know now, reading this is just...it's hard:

"We'll be at Hogwarts in ten minutes," said Profession Lupin. "Are you all right, Harry?"
Harry didn't ask how Professor Lupin knew his name.
- page 68

And if the words don't do enough to your poor heart, check out this pin I found not too long ago. I'll give you a moment to collect yourself. Oh, and just to make it even more clear how close these friends are:

Lupin was lowering his wand. Next moment, he had walked to Black's side, seized his hand, pulled him to his feet so that Crookshanks fell to the floor, and embraced Black like a brother.
- page 252

All the feels.

Once again, I was completely uplifted by spending a Saturday reading a Harry Potter novel. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is probably the last book of the series that I will read in one sitting (though I did read Deathly Hallows in about seven hours total when it was first released), which is sort of sad. I like being able to commit an entire day to read the book from start to finish and I just don't think it'll be possible to do that with the next books. Ah well. I'm looking forward to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire even though things take a dark turn. Until then, happy reading!

Reread: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

It's month two (er, well, technically three since it's now March but let's just pretend it's still February, ok?) of the Harry Potter Reread Challenge! For more information about this challenge and the idea behind it, visit Just a Lil' Lost's sign up post and check out my post on book number one. A reminder that this is a casual readalong and to check out Twitter or Instagram with #HPreread. Another reminder: if you haven't read this book, or even finished the whole series, please beware of spoilers. If you don't want parts of the story or series ruined for you, stay away until you finish the books! Month two of the challenge meant rereading book two, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. 

Like a lot of people, I felt like this was my least favourite book of the series. Why? I'm not really sure. It may have something to do with the fact that, at first read, it doesn't seem to move the entire plot forward too much. However, knowing what happens at the end means that we realize how important Tom Riddle's diary actually is. It could also be because I am so not a fan of Gilderoy Lockhart, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher in Harry's second year. He's not exactly evil. He's, as I tweeted, incredibly sleazy. Every scene with him in it makes me want to smack him upside the head!

I was reminded while reading this book how much I freaking love Diagon Alley. I loved being introduced to even more stores as the Weasleys, Harry, and the Grangers visited in the summer. We're also introduced to the shady side of the wizarding world - Knockturn Alley - after Harry has some issues with Floo Powder (which, by the way, I totally want....life would be so much easier). I'm sure most people can/have figured out that Diagon Alley = diagonally. However, I recently (re?)learned that Knockturn Alley = nocturnally. As the Harry Potter Wiki explains, "Nocturnally" has to do with the night and darkness, hinting at its dark nature." The more you know! Speaking of Knockturn Alley...did anyone who did the reread notice that Harry hides in a black cabinet in Borgin and Burkes (page 42)? And that Nearly Headless Nick drops an extremely valuable vanishing cabinet in the halls of Hogwarts to save Harry from detention (page 98)? Interesting to note that those important cabinets first show up so early on in the series.

I had some emotional moments while reading this book. Chamber of Secrets is when we first meet Dobby the house elf. I may not love Dobby as much as some HP fans but I still hate how things turn out for him in the end. But instead of focusing on that, let's just revisit the very first time he appears, even though we don't yet know it's Dobby:

"Harry suddenly sat bolt upright on the garden bench. He had been staring absent-mindedly into the hedge - and the hedge was staring back. Two enormous green eyes had appeared among the leaves."
- page 12

Just like I love going back to Diagon Alley, I adored experiencing Harry's first visit to The Burrow, the Weasleys' home.

I also found myself getting furious that Harry was living in such horrible conditions at the Dursleys'. It's so horrible that it's almost comical. I just can't understand how nothing was done to make things marginally better. I know why he had to go back there every summer, to be with family, but still. Ugh. They're just the worst.

As most people know, J.K Rowling said in an interview a few weeks ago that she wished she had not had Ron and Hermione end up together. I'm not going to talk about the implications of this revelation. What I will say is that I never paid much attention to the relationship aspect of the stories when I first read them - that's not what was important to the overall story. This time around, however, I found myself paying a little more attention to how Ron and Hermione interacted. They're still very much twelve years old and Hermione disapproves of a lot of what Ron does. Ron makes fun of Hermione a lot. But, they're fiercely loyal to each other.

At the end of the book, the trio notes that it didn't matter that their Defence Against the Dark Arts classes had been cancelled as they had been getting quite a lot of practice in in real life. Also, they practiced disarming, which "Harry was getting very good at." Talk about foreshadowing!

Like with the first book, I tweeted while reading. You can check out my Storify story here and see what I had to say while I read book two.

Another note: I adore the Ford Anglia. I'm not sure why I love this flying car so much but it's probably my favourite part of this whole book :)

Universal in 2012. I was  SO excited to see the car at one of the rides!

There were lots of amusing and poignant lines in Chamber of Secrets, as is to be expected. I could share them all but that would get boring for you. Just read the books. But I will leave you with one of Dumbledore's many memorable quotes (that man is so wise):

"It is our choices, Harry, that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
- page 245

So there we have it. My thoughts on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. As jumbled and all over the place as they may be. What do you guys think of book two? I'm super excited to read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban next (er, this) month because it's one of my favourites of the series.

Bunch of Mini Reviews 4: Another Library Edition

I have another round of mini reviews for you! Once again, this features three library books...and they couldn't be more different. I've got a dystopian YA, a women's fiction, and a mystery that turns out to have been written by J.K. Rowling. It's always good to have a little variety in life, right? And happily, all three of these novels were really good reads!

Divergent - Veronica Roth (synopsis)

This is another one of those YA novels that's been on my radar for ages but I just didn't feel like picking it up. I didn't really think I'd enjoy it and I had all sorts of other (adult) books to read. I wasn't really sure what to expect when I started reading it because I couldn't remember what it was about (I don't reread the synopsis before starting a book), I just knew that I wanted to see what all the excitement was about. Plus, the fact that it's being made into a movie helped make me finally read it.
The world we see in Divergent is similar to one that we've seen in other novels - a sort of post-apocalyptic/dystopian America that has found a new way to govern themselves, usually by separating the citizens into groups. In this book, we find ourselves in what used to be Chicago. I mention this because I enjoyed the little references that gave away the location. But we don't really know what the rest of the world (aka the US) is up to and how they're managing.
I really liked Tris. I don't know if I'd say she's a great female character (she's a little hard on herself when it comes to her looks, which I think is ridiculous and is a trend with these types of books) but she's definitely not the worst. She discovers a strength in herself that she didn't realize she had but she struggles with it too.
Was I completely obsessed with this book like so many others are? Not really. I didn't want to put it down, though, and I'm eager to read the next two books. I think it's probably best to go into reading this one without comparing it to any of the other, similar, series out there. Enjoy it for it what it is on its own. Divergent was a really enjoyable read and a great book to pick up if you're looking to start a new series.

Big Girl Panties - Stephanie Evanovich (synopsis)

I was looking forward to reading this novel because I wanted a good, sort of light, funny read. I was worried though because a fellow blogger tried to read this book and couldn't get past the first few chapters. Happily, I found that Evanovich delivered what I was looking for and I really enjoyed reading this book.
I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that Logan's friend Chase played baseball for the New York Kings. Not the Yankees but the Yankees. Confused? I know baseball and I know the AL East well since I live in Canada and that's the division our only team is in. What I can't understand is why the author named the Blue Jays and the Red Sox but decided to rename the Yankees. My first thought was that there's some sort of copyright situation and she'd have to pay a bazillion dollars to use the name. If so, naming them the Kings? Is that because she truly believes the team to be the King of the MLB? Because if it is, I feel like I should dislike her and her book on principle! ;) Or is it because she was writing about a fictional player she thought she should rename the team? All I know is that I'm way too interested in this aspect of the novel. I NEED TO KNOW!
Thinking back on it, there were some aspects of the novel (mostly characteristics of Holly and Logan) that were a tad...irksome, let's say. It frustrated me that Logan was being so stupidly shallow and I thought she deserved better than that. She was doing so well and moving on with her life and I was worried Logan would end up being a world class jerk and hurt her. I could see that they had chemistry, though, and they were good when they were together so I was rooting for them to figure out their problems.
I think you'll enjoy this novel if you go in expecting exactly what it is - a humorous women's fiction novel. It's so much more than the romance between Holly and Logan. It's about being good to yourself and figuring out what you want in life. It was sweet, not too heavy, and quite funny at times. In fact, I was reminded of Jennifer Weiner at times while reading this book. Mostly because Weiner has written about heroines who have weight issues but also because of the tone of the novel itself. Big Girl Panties should be on your end of summer reading list!

The Cuckoo's Calling - Robert Galbraith (synopsis)

Once the news broke that this novel was actually written by J.K. Rowling I hopped on over to my library's site and reserved it. I was lucky as I was twelfth in line. A few days later the requests were up past 80! They only had one copy though so I had to wait patiently for my turn with this book.
I had no idea what to expect with this novel. I don't read a lot of  mystery/detective stories but I told myself that since I enjoy movies like that every once and awhile, I would probably like the book. Turns out I was right. The novel was fabulous.
I think the best part was the mystery itself. If you've read Harry Potter you know that Rowling gave tons of little hints throughout the series that you didn't realize were hints until you finished the last book. This novel was like that too. I had no idea who could be the murderer and I was anxious to figure it out. I, for one, was surprised to find out the truth at the end. It was great! Er, as great as things could be when there are possible murderers hanging around...
I must say that it did take me a little while to read this book. It's not slow, exactly, but there's a lot of investigating that needs to be done that I think slows things down. All the info that's uncovered is interesting but you have no idea how it fits into the overall story.
If you're at all interested in the story pick up The Cuckoo's Calling. It was a really well told and interesting detective story and I hope Rowling continues with the series. I'd like to see what Strike and Robin get up to next!